The Web of Life

Traditionally biology has been considered as a descriptive science. However, the birth of an embryo, the development and differentiation of the fetus, and the processes of aging, disease and death have retained elements of mysticism. This book is designed to provide a sampling of the processes and enigmas governing life at every stage of evolution on this planet.;The evolution of the disciplines of biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology and more recently, genetic engineering has clearly contributed to an understanding of life processes in molecular terms. However, molecules and their interaction cannot in themselves constitute life or the processes of life, as life has to be examined from the appropriate perspective. This is achieved by starting from an appreciation of the fundamental laws enshrined in mathematics. From there one must proceed to an appreciation of molecular interactions, genesis and contacts among living cells, the development and differentiation of cells into tissues and organs, evolution of the individual, interaction among individuals constituting populations and their dynamics, and finally, to an awareness of the influence of environment on populations.